تسجيل الدخولhow do we feel?
Elaine could feel it more and more with every passing hour. The pull between Kael and Seraphina was no longer something she could pretend not to notice. She had seen it in the corridor, in the way his attention shifted toward her without meaning to, in the way his wolf reacted before he even spoke. No matter how calm she tried to appear, the truth sat heavily in her chest.She sat near the edge of the training courtyard, one knee drawn slightly upward as her nails pressed into her palm hard enough to leave marks. The sting barely registered anymore.The sharp sound of wood striking wood broke through her thoughts.Elaine looked up and saw Elena near one of the training dummies, her sword moving in steady motions. There was nothing aggressive about the way she trained. Every strike looked controlled, almost cautious, like she was more focused on improving quietly than proving anything to anyone.For some reason, that irritated Elaine even more.“Elena.”Elena paused mid-swing before low
The training ground was quieter than usual that morning, the air still carrying traces of cold from the night before. A thin layer of mist lingered over the edges of the field, disturbed only by the movement of their feet across the worn ground. Most students had not arrived yet, leaving the courtyard nearly empty except for the sharp sound of wooden swords colliding through the stillness.Elaine moved first.Her strike came fast and direct, aimed cleanly toward Kael’s shoulder, but he blocked it easily. The impact echoed between them before she shifted smoothly into another attack, forcing him to step back this time instead of holding his ground.Kael parried again, his attention fixed on her movements. “You’re trying too hard.”Elaine’s grip tightened slightly around the hilt. “I lost yesterday.”The next strike came harder, carrying enough force to make the wood vibrate faintly against Kael’s palm.He redirected it before stepping around her guard with practiced ease. “And now you’r
Elaine swung her sword again, harder than before, the force of it carrying through her arms as if she could drive the frustration out with each strike. The impact echoed across the empty training ground, sharp and unrelenting. She had lost. The thought refused to settle, pressing against her with every movement. Elaine had never lost, not like this, not in front of everyone, and certainly not to someone who had just arrived.Her grip tightened as she struck again, faster this time, less controlled. It was not just the loss. It was what came with it. The attention shifting, the expectations slipping, the quiet sense that something she had always held was no longer entirely hers.The sword came down again, but this time her strength gave out with it. She dropped to the ground, breath uneven, chest rising and falling as exhaustion caught up to her. Sweat clung to her skin, strands of hair sticking to her face. She was no longer composed, no longer the image everyone expected, and for once
“The princess versus Elaine?”“I want to see how strong she really is.”Murmurs spread across the yard in restless waves, growing louder as more students gathered closer to the center. Heads turned, conversations overlapped, and anticipation built quickly, drawn to the pairing that had already set the courtyard on edge.Elaine stood her ground, her posture straight and composed, every movement measured. To anyone watching, she looked as confident as ever, but the tension beneath her calm was unmistakable in the way her fingers tightened slightly around the hilt of the wooden sword. Of all the matchups, this was not the one she had wanted.“I hope we get along well,” Seraphina said, her voice smooth and effortless, carrying just enough to be heard without needing to rise.Elaine almost did not respond. The instinct to dismiss it flickered briefly, sharp and immediate, but she forced it down and extended her hand instead, her expression settling into something perfectly controlled.“I h
Kael sat alone in his room, the silence pressing in around him as Phoebe’s words repeated in his mind with unsettling clarity.“The one you seek is close to you, but the one you need is even closer. Two choices will save the kingdom. The third will destroy it.”She had not needed to finish for him to understand.He drew in a slow breath and let it out just as carefully, trying to steady the tension that had not left him since the assembly. Nothing about what he had felt made sense. The reaction had been immediate, overwhelming in a way that left no room for doubt, and his wolf had responded without hesitation, as if it had already made its choice long before he could think.That was what mattered.Kael lowered his gaze slightly, his thoughts tightening as he forced himself to separate instinct from uncertainty. There had been something off, something he could not fully name, but it did not change what he had felt. The pull had been too strong to ignore, too absolute to dismiss as anyt
Kael stared at the figure standing at the podium, his focus narrowing until the rest of the hall seemed to fade. The noise around him dulled, voices slipping into nothing as if the world had been pushed further away.His wolf stirred violently, a low, strained growl rising in his chest.Elaine felt the shift immediately. Something was wrong. She turned toward Kael, her gaze sharpening as she took in the way he had gone completely still. Her wolf reacted in turn, restless and unsettled, sending sharp waves of unease through her. Without thinking, she placed her hand lightly over his, grounding herself more than him as her eyes lifted toward the girl at the front.The room remained quiet, but it was not the same kind of silence as before. It was heavier now, stretched thin with tension.“It is an honor to be the first exchange student from Nightfall,” the girl said, her voice smooth and composed. “I look forward to our time here.”Her smile was flawless, practiced, and perfectly placed.







